The Art of Decadence
by Earendil Eldar
Summary: Celebrimbor finds his lover after a day's work, relaxing, alone, in the sumptuous bath-houses of Ost-in-Edhil. He has some ideas of his own about how to unwind at the end of the day.


_Ost-in-Edhil, SA (Pre-Ring) _

"I had a feeling I would find you here," Celebrimbor said, strolling into one of Ost-in-Edhil's jewels - its vast bath house, gleaming in white rock and steaming of the hot springs the Elves had built the structure around.

Erestor lolled his head lazily toward his lover from where he was reclined against the edge of one of the sunken pools. He was perched on a ledge carved into the black marble so that one could lounge in the water and had a crystal goblet of garnet-hued wine near his outstretched hand. "After a long day bent over scrolls and charts?" he drawled. "Yes. This is exactly where you might find me."

Celebrimbor grinned at Erestor and his small indulgences. In a land as rich as Eregion, the lord's lover surely could have amassed quite a store of treasures – especially when the lord also happened to be one of the finest jewel-smiths Middle Earth had ever known. But Erestor's interest in trinkets and jewelry was minimal. He appreciated fine things, but expected them to earn their place through usefulness and meaning beyond base display of wealth. He much preferred the comforts of cleverly-designed robes of fine cloth or rich food and drink or sumptuous, plush furnishings. Or, simpler yet, just a moment of relaxation in a hot pool at day's end.

Celebrimbor, on the other hand, dropped the long linen cloth that had been all that was draped over his shoulder and took a running jump for another pool – this one cool, indicated by the white marble lining it. A great splash accompanied Celebrimbor's invigorated shout and Erestor was only just quick enough to shield his glass of wine.

"Ai! Have a care, you great…" Erestor cast about for a fitting invective before settling on, "_smith_!"

Celebrimbor just laughed joyfully as he swam about, drenching himself fully, rinsing off any lingering soot and metal dust from his own day's work, reveling in the refreshing cool after the heat of the smithies. At length, he pulled himself up to sit along the edge of the pool and raked and wrung his long black hair back. He was fully aware of those keen grey eyes watching him mildly from the hot pool. Languidly, Celebrimbor rose and walked over to Erestor, blatantly unabashed to display his nude, dripping body.

"Shall I join you?" he asked.

"As you like," Erestor said unconcernedly. "However, if you splash me, you may find yourself dwelling in this pool… _permanently_."

Celebrimbor laughed and made a show of easing into the hot water. Not that it took much restraint to go slow, he half wondered that Erestor wasn't boiling like a potato in this bath.

Erestor watched as the corded muscles of his lover's long legs, calves and thighs pulsing already from the cool swim, tightened against the wet heat enveloping them as Celebrimbor slipped bit by bit into the pool. As his view of legs and tapered waist was gradually lost to the rippled water's surface, Erestor subtly shifted his gaze to the strong smith's upper body, doing the work of supporting Celebrimbor's weight. Those arms and their equally well-formed shoulders, chest, and back were one of Erestor's dearest indulgences.

Within a few moments, though, Celebrimbor began to adjust to the stinging heat and felt his long-used muscles start to unclench. With a sigh, he sank fully down into the water and shifted close enough to rest one hand on Erestor's thigh while resting his head back along the pool's edge.

"I think I see why you bathe here so frequently. This is exquisite," Celebrimbor murmured.

"Yes, I prefer it to jumping in the Sirannon each day," Erestor said dryly, teasing Celebrimbor about his usual day-end routine.

"When you spend your days amidst fire and metal, a cool, clear stream is bliss, I assure you," Celebrimbor said, quoting his own well-practiced defense.

Erestor just grinned. It was his opinion that a daily bath in a river instead of in a proper bathing-house had the effect of causing Celebrimbor's hair to grow thicker and more unruly, which was why he nearly always elected to wear it in a single long plait down his back. Of course, that thickening property also seemed to impact his lover's smiths'-musculature and… other regions of note.

"I so rarely get to see your tresses like this, unbound and wild, clinging to your skin," Erestor remarked, reaching over to stroke the long, damp strands. Erestor's own hair cascaded along the floor, unbraided but as yet dry.

"Join me bathing in the river, then," Celebrimbor grinned.

"I shouldn't like a scarce treat to be dulled by routine," Erestor smirked back.

Celebrimbor nodded. "Always a prudent one, you," he purred, gliding closer still in the water and moving in front of Erestor to curl his arms about his lover's waist and draw him into a kiss.

"Prudent indeed," Erestor said, pushing Celebrimbor back after a moment, "and as such, you'll not be kissing me here, where anyone could walk in."

"No one will," Celebrimbor coaxed.

"They very well could," Erestor insisted. "It's a public bath."

"Aye," Celebrimbor nodded. "Except when the doors have been barred."

"You did not," Erestor scoffed.

"But I did," Celebrimbor assured. "I was feeling adventurous and wished no interruption of an interlude with my most exceptional Chief Counselor. And, after all, there's got to be _some_ advantages to being named Lord of a particular measure of land. So, come, then… we are as private as in my own bedchambers."

"If I did not love you as I do, I would think you a very wicked Elf," Erestor murmured, his lips curling involuntarily at the tease but his eyes already growing lidded and glimmering.

"Love me as you do?" Celebrimbor said, pulling Erestor back into his embrace. "And how is it that you do love me? Say but the words, my Eres, and I shall be as wicked as you ask." Already he was swooping in to get back to Erestor's sweet, warm lips.

"Celeb…," Erestor breathed as Celebrimbor trailed away from the kiss, dragging lips down Erestor's jawline to suckle lightly at his neck. Erestor couldn't help arching up against him and cocking his head back to give Celebrimbor fuller access to his sensitive pulse-point.

"Now who's wicked?" Celebrimbor chuckled and softly kissed Erestor's neck, letting his tongue trace patterns as intricate as his metalwork on Erestor's creamy, smooth skin.

"You, still, for putting me into this state!" Erestor exclaimed, though he pressed himself closer against Celebrimbor.

Celebrimbor shrugged casually. "Then it is only meet, for you have put me into this same state on occasions uncounted."

"You go to my head much faster than any wine, Celebrimbor," Erestor said seriously. "Yes, love me here," he whispered. "It would be unseemly for me to leave this pool in my unrelieved condition."

"Mayhap we shall needs must relieve each other, then," Celebrimbor smiled. "Had you planned to wash your hair?"

Erestor frowned slightly at the non-sequitur but nodded.

"Good," Celebrimbor said, grasping Erestor's waist and easily flipping their positions so that he now sat upon the ledge and Erestor straddled his legs, his own long, dark hair now dipping into the water and floating out behind him. "You are so very, very fine, Erestor o Eregion," Celebrimbor murmured, caught in a moment's wonder, stroking Erestor's high cheekbones. "However did I merit the fortune of your regard, let alone your love?"

Erestor was stilled for a moment, as he often was when Celebrimbor talked so sweetly of his lover yet as though he doubted his own worth. "You merit my love for you and much more," Erestor insisted, leaning in for a kiss to stop any further discussion on the subject. "Wait you but a moment and I will prove it to you." Erestor pecked Celebrimbor's lips quickly before rising up out of the pool to fetch a basin and some vials of oil that he'd set aside with his own linen cloth. "Fancy I shall only want a bit of this," Erestor muttered, unstopping a vial of almond oil.

"Let me," Celebrimbor said quickly before Erestor could spill it into his own hand.

"Alright," Erestor smiled. "But don't take too much time. Relaxed as I am…." He poured just enough oil into Celebrimbor's hand and then stepped back into the water, straddling Celebrimbor by standing on the ledge his lover reclined on.

Celebrimbor had to remind himself not to run his hands all over Erestor's beautiful, long, lean body before him when he had been granted so vital a task. Instead, he pressed his lips to Erestor's thigh and took up his appointed work, running his oiled fingers down Erestor's inviting cleft. Erestor's hips involuntarily canted forward just a bit in sweet anticipation and Celebrimbor happily seized the opportunity to offer the dual pleasure of his mouth along with his fingers.

"Valar!" Erestor gasped, not expecting the sensation of Celebrimbor's lips closing over his hardened flesh. He buried his fingers in Celebrimbor's damp hair, more to steady him than to direct his lover's motions. It was almost impossible for him to still his hips when Celebrimbor's fingers gently teased and probed his entrance.

To distract himself and keep from giving over too soon, Erestor took up the vial of oil and coated his own hands, then returned to running his fingers through Celebrimbor's hair. The thoughtfully and deliberately combed through the entire length before massaging his fingertips against Celebrimbor's scalp.

"That feels incredible," Celebrimbor murmured, letting Erestor's length slip from his tongue.

"Aye, and now you shall have hair like a lord, instead of like a river-rat," Erestor smirked as he sank back down into the water to kneel upon the ledge. Erestor preempted any indignation from Celebrimbor with a long, deep kiss and a whisper to "guide yourself in" as he sank down lower to sit on Celebrimbor's hips.

"By Aulë!" Celebrimbor breathed as he slid into Erestor's passage, even hotter than usual from hot bath. He grasped Erestor's hips to subdue his immediate urge to thrust up.

"Oh, Celeb…," Erestor moaned, doing nothing to aid his lover's resolve as he began to work himself ever so slightly upon Celebrimbor's proud, well-tempered flesh.

Finally, Celebrimbor gave up holding back and gave Erestor what he sought, holding his hips still and doing the thrusting himself. Erestor leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Celebrimbor's neck and meeting his hungry mouth in a devouring kiss that mirrored their passionate lovemaking below the water.

When Celebrimbor wrapped his work-strengthen fingers around Erestor's throbbing endowment, Erestor's breath stuttered. "Ai! Celeb, say you're near, or I shall outpace you by a league at this rate!"

Celebrimbor chuckled thinly as he thrust a little harder. "Not if I outpace you first, beloved!" He wrapped his free arm around Erestor's waist and tugged him just a bit closer as he rolled his hips to find the knot of pleasure inside Erestor.

Erestor's head dropped back with a keening cry to "Elbereth!" when Celebrimbor struck that particular spot. Celebrimbor began to thrust against it repeatedly as he pumped Erestor's hardness while his lover gasps quickened. In the moment before Erestor was undone entirely, he drove forward, crushing his mouth against Celebrimbor's as he spent long and hard.

As Erestor's passion and strength ebbed out through his intense orgasm, Celebrimbor clutched him tightly, thrusting upward almost heedlessly for a few moments, then crying out loudly with three forceful thrusts as he, too, came hard enough to see stars.

For a long while the two stayed like that, tangled around one another and blissfully boneless. At length, Celebrimbor pressed an indolent kiss to Erestor's shoulder and said reluctantly, "I suppose we must finish here and still dress for dinner?"

Erestor smiled against Celebrimbor's oil-slicked hair. "Not if we elect to take a private meal."

"I so vote," Celebrimbor said resolutely. "You?"

"Mm-hmm," Erestor hummed.

"Good. Then we are resolved. Private meal. No dressing required."

"Enough dressing to get back to your chambers with all due dignity intact, if you please," Erestor laughed, his voice thickened more than usual in his satiety. "Come, let us finish our evening ablutions and retire to drier, softer accommodations. Not that this isn't all quite decadent…."

"You make a true art of decadence," Celebrimbor grinned. "See here, making a lord of a river-rat and all!"

"Indulgence is no art that cannot be learned," Erestor said mock-imperiously. "And I would very happily edify you further in its subtle and seductive ways."

Celebrimbor smiled in deepest contentment. "Every time we are together, you teach a simple smith the art of decadence. I would learn it well of you, my beautiful Erestor, though it took all of an Elven lifetime!" he said, resting his head against Erestor's shoulder, wallowing in their lovers' clandestine quietude for a few moments longer.


End file.
